Author: Nahapetian Samvel

US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick hopes the Presidents of Armenia will meet to continue discussions on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Ambassador Warlick outlined the objectives of the mediators’ visit to the region.

“First, we’re glad that the ceasefire has been generally observed since the outbreak of large-scale military actions in April, but there have been casualties. Even one casualty is too much, and we want to talk to the parties about the casualties and the tension along the line of contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” Warlick said.

Second, he said, the mediators aim to follow up on the implementation of the decisions made during the summit meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg. “Third, our mission as mediators is to work towards lasting peace that the people of the region deserve. I hope the dialogue will continue on the highest level. We do hope the Presidents will meet to continue the discussions,” the US diplomat said.

Amb. Warlick said the Helsinki Final Act is acceptable to all parties and the future peace deal will be based on three principles – the right of peoples to self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force or the threat of force.

Spekaing about the outcomes of the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, Warlick said an important decision was to expand the OSCE observer mission under the direction of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Speaking about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement on provision of autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh, James Warlick said the “the issue of status should be a subject of full and frank discussion not only privately between the Presidents, but also the peoples.” “Positions of the parties may differ, but the issue should be put on discussion. We welcome President Aliyev’s statement not because it is the last word, but because he put the issue up for a discussion,” Warlick said.

Asked whether it was possible for the people of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan to live peacefully side-by-side, the Co-Chair said: “It’s my dream and the dream of the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan that both parties live side-by side in peace and security as they once did. We want to redouble our efforts to bring a comprehensive settlement acceptable to both parties. Supporting people-to-people contacts is an important element of our work.”

Referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement that there are no conditions for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict at this point, Amb. Warlick said “Secretary Kerry is committed to bringing a negotiated settlement.”

“The US together with the other co-chairs is committed to move forward on the path of negotiations. We believe there is an opportunity. There are proposals on the table we can work on, and we want to see political will from the Presidents to commit themselves to moving forward.”

“All elements of a comprehensive settlement must be on the table and under discussion. No side should chose the elements more convenient to it. There must be a frank discussion on all elements, including the status of Karabakh, the return of refugees and IDPs, the format of an international peacekeeping mission, etc,” James Warlick said. “Nothing is settled, until everything is settled,” he added.

The US Co-Chair attached importance to the expansion of Amb. Kasprzyk’s mission. “Ideally, the agreement reached at the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg would have been in place by now. One of the purposes of our visit is to talk about the issue. I’m confident we’ll reach the expansion of Kasprzyk’s mission after 20 years, and it will be an important step in the right direction.”

Amb. Warlick said “the most effective way to move forward is for the Presidents to commit themselves to negotiations that will bring a comprehensive settlement. We want to the Presidents to talk to each other, we want political will from the sides to move forward. We’ll help the Presidents to find an early opportunity to meet.”

“Our mission is to facilitate discussions between the Presidents that can lead to a settlement. We cannot do it ourselves. We need goodwill from the Presidents,” James Warlick added.

“I’m absolutely convinced that both Presidents are fully committed to a peaceful settlement, neither side wants war, because they know the high price that will be paid by renewed conflict. We saw it in April and we do not want to see it again. There is no date set for the next meeting, but we are willing to facilitate a meeting whenever needed,” he stated.

“We are there to facilitate and mediate, to put good ideas on the table, but it’s up to the Presidents to decide. There can be no peace imposed on the parties,” the US Co-Chair said.

He said there are no new ideas on the table. “Many of the ideas have been under discussion for years,” James Warlick concluded.

Photo: AP

 

The US has accused Islamic State (IS) militants of using civilians as human shields as Iraqi forces move closer to the group’s stronghold in Mosul, the BBC reports.

Some 700,000 people are believed to remain in the city, where up to 5,000 IS fighters face the third day of the operation to retake Mosul.

News that the nearby town of Qaraqosh had been liberated was later denied by a government commander.

But the US-backed coalition say they have driven IS out of 10 villages.

Government troops are moving up from the south while their Kurdish allies are approaching from the east in a two-pronged campaign which began on Monday.

US President Barack Obama has sought to allay concerns about an exodus of civilians from the area, saying “plans and infrastructure” are in place for dealing with a potential humanitarian crisis.

The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime about 55 times at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.

The rival used weapons of different calibers as it fired more than 1,000 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The Azeri forces used sniper rifles in the southern and eastern directions of the line of contact, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the frontline and confidently continue with their military duty.

 

 

 

Composer and singer Daniel Decker will perform with the Armenian State Orchestra of National Musical Instruments on October 10. The concert to be held at Aram Khachaturian Hall is organized by Mezzo Production.

Daniel Decker – an Armenian by choice – has a special attitude towards the Armenian nation, and has even changed his surname into Deckeryan.

“This is something I have been waiting for a very long time,” Decker told reporters today. “This is my 16^th visit to Armenia, and I hope will be one of many more,” the singer added.

“Over the years I have come to be very connected with the Armenian people. Last year I became a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. So, as I often say, “I’m Armenian not by birth, but I’m Armenian by choice,” Daniel Decker said.

The concert will be the first one to be presented entirely in the Armenian language.

“It’s a gift to the Armenian nation. I want to say that I’m with you, I’m one of you, I support you, and we should be proud to be called Armenian. One of the messages I’d like to convey to Armenians is that although Armenians are spread across the world in the Diaspora, we can still be united as one voice. By uniting our voices we can see that the Genocide is recognized, we can see that Armenia as a nation moves forward,” the musician said.

“I’m confident that the best days for the Armenian nation are not in the past, they are in the future, because we work together for a common cause,” he added.

Daniel Decker said the concert is a product of cooperation, where he will have the chance to perform his most favorite Armenian songs. Daniel Decker and composer Ara Gevorgyan will present their new song “Araks.”

Turkish Armenian singer Sibil, founder of the “The Beautified Project” Andre Simpnyan, singers Nune Yesayan, Hamlet Gevorgyan and Eva Yeganian will be special guests at the concert.

Photo: Reuters

 

Amnesty International has accused the world’s wealthiest nations of shirking responsibility towards refugees, saying they host the fewest and do the least, the BBC reports.

Ten countries which account for just 2.5% of the global GDP are sheltering more than half the world’s 21 million refugees, says a report by the charity.

Salil Shetty, Amnesty’s secretary general, called for wealthier nations to take in many more people.

Mr Shetty called the UK a “sad example” of the failure to take responsibility.

The UK has accepted about 8,000 Syrian refugees since 2011, according to the UN. The US has taken just 12,000.

And according to recent UN refugee agency data, no Syrian refugees have been resettled by China, Russia or any Gulf states.

By comparison, Jordan, which has a GDP just 1.2% the size of the UK’s, hosts nearly 655,000 Syrian refugees.

With more than 2.7 million refugees in total, Jordan is sheltering more than any other nation. Turkey has taken in more than 2.5 million people; Pakistan 1.6 million; Lebanon more than 1.5 million.

The other nations with the largest refugee populations are:

• Iran (979,400)
• Ethiopia (736,100)
• Kenya (553,900)
• Uganda (477,200)
• Democratic Republic of Congo (383,100)
• Chad (369,500)

The former Israeli PM and president, Shimon Peres, has died aged 93, the BBC reports.

He suffered a stroke two weeks ago and his condition improved before a sudden deterioration on Tuesday.

His son Chemi led tributes to “one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel” who “worked tirelessly” for it.

Mr Peres, who was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the new nation’s birth in 1948, served twice as the country’s prime minister and once as president.

He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 for his role negotiating peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier.

He once said the Palestinians were Israel’s “closest neighbours” and might become its “closest friends”.

Mr Peres died in a hospital near Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, with his family at his bedside.

He had been in the intensive care unit of the Sheba Medical Centre after suffering a major stroke on 13 September.

According to a decree signed by President Serzh Sargsyan, Artsvik Minasyan has been appointed as Minister of Environmental Protection.

President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree today, appointing Armen Amiryan – long-time Executive Director of Public Radio of Armenia – as Minister of Culture.

According to an earlier presidential decree, Armen Amiryan was relieved of the duties of the Member of the Council of Public Television and Radio Company of Armenia.

Azerbaijanis are voting on whether to boost the powers of President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled since 2003 and cracked down on dissent, the BBC reports.

The plan includes lowering the age limit for presidential candidates, creating a strong vice-presidency and extending the presidential term.

The opposition sees the vote as a move to cement the powers of the first family, with Mr Aliyev’s wife and 19-year-old son seen as potential heirs.

The ruling party dismisses the claims.

The constitutional changes would also create other vice-presidential posts and enable the president to dissolve parliament at any time.

The referendum comes after dozens of opposition activists were arrested in the oil-rich former Soviet state.

One of President Aliyev’s main opponents, Ilgar Mammadov, leader of the pro-Western opposition party ReAL, and other pro-democracy activists are still in jail.

 

Armenia’s newly appointed Prime Minister has said his program will consist of two stages, and does not promise rapid changes in the first one.

“As for the second stage, we need time to decide which direction we’re chosing for our country,” Karen Karapetyan said at his first Q&A session at the National Assembly.

He advised not to expect rapid changes in the economy but added that “there will be signals on the direction of future development of economy.”

The Prime Minister said the program of the previous government will be used and added that “creation of favorable conditions for those who create added value will be a priority.”

Referring to the formation of the Cabinet of Ministers, he said the emphasis will be put on maximal professionalism irrespective of party affiliation.